Before I got my eye put out

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



Before I got my eye put out
I liked as well to see—
As other Creatures, that have Eyes
And know no other way—

But were it told to me—Today—
That I might have the sky
For mine—I tell you that my Heart
Would split, for size of me—

The Meadows—mine—
The Mountains—mine—
All Forests—Stintless Stars—
As much of Noon as I could take
Between my finite eyes—

The Motions of the Dipping Birds—
The Morning's Amber Road—
For mine—to look at when I liked—
The News would strike me dead—

So safer—guess—with just my soul
Upon the Window pane—
Where other Creatures put their eyes—
Incautious—of the Sun—

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 06, 2023

33 sec read
187

Quick analysis:

Scheme XABC CXXA DDXXB XXXX XXBX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 628
Words 111
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 5, 4, 4

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

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    Who wrote the 1916 poem "Out, Out—"?
    A Emily Dickinson
    B Elinor Frost
    C Robert Browning
    D Robert Frost